Distribution of subversive knowledge in the early modern period. Friedrich Breckling's library as hub for the dissemination of dissident literature

• Applicants: Professor Dr. Markus Friedrich; Professor Dr. Johann Anselm Steiger
• Subject Area: Protestant Theology ; Modern and Contemporary History
• Term: since 2023
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 522727050

Using the example of the dissident Friedrich Breckling, the project will assess how precarious and subversive religious knowledge was distributed and preserved over long periods of time during the early modern era. By making a dissident theologian the subject of research, it will become possible to closely examine a facet of theological transmission, archive building and knowledge retention which has so far rarely been considered by the booming scholarship on archival cultures in the wider sense: ‘alternative’ and ‘subversive’ bodies of knowledge. Breckling’s extensive estate lends itself exceptionally well to reconstructing the distribution and transmission of dissident ideas and writings across space and time. His example will give deep insight into the question how heterodox ideas and texts were collected, used, made available and passed on.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants